The between acrylic gouache and acrylic paint is acrylic gouache is more mat AND it’s more opaque. Regular acrylic paint can be shiny and very transparent. So yes, there is a significant difference between the two.
Many years ago there was a new range introduced (maybe in Australia only) called AM or absolute matte acrylic. They had the most amazing WOW colour range and were a joy to paint with and had an amazing finish. I can't find them any more, but I don't use acrylics much now that I have rediscovered watercolour. The other brand that is still available is Jo Sonja, which are now marketed as artist colours, but previously were labelled watercolour. I feel that these are the same as "acrylic gouache", and from experience, are quite insipid sort of paints. I am excited to receive my new set of gouache paints and give them a try.
I feel that while acrylic paint is transparent and shiny, acrylic gouache is matte and opaque. Of course there are matte acrylic paints, but they are still transparent. I know two brands of acrylic that are actually quite opaque: Neopaque (some can be shiny), and Flashe vinyl paint (usually opaque and all colors are matte, great with colored pencils).
Love this! I bought GenCrafts gouache and it is horrible. It's as if it has acrylic in it. Just blobs of plastic after it sits on a palette. I wanted to send it back but couldn't get to UPS in time. What a joke that was when I tried using it. It says nothing about acrylic on the box or the ad.
Interesting video. I'd just use acrylic paint for those acrylic qualities and lean into to qualities of proper gouache, which can be reactivated and which will not wreck your brushes if you don't wash them out. Which is the point of these different media….lean into their strengths..
IMHO, acrylic gouache is just regular acrylic paint with a matting medium added. In theory, any color acrylic paint can become ‘acrylic gouache’ by adding matte medium. The approach to painting with ‘acrylic gouache’ should be the same as with regular acrylic paints. The finished results will be a non-shiny acrylic painting. Traditional gouache has unique attributes, and with proper patience and practice, can produce breathtaking works. Over the years, it has carved a niche in the art world, earning well deserved respect. Acrylic gouache is new and has yet to prove its worth to earn a respectable standing; it’s currently seen as a pretend/faux paint.
